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The Natural Inspiration of Mathematics

February 18, 2014

Join Dr. Robbert Dijkgraaf at the March 5 Perimeter Institute Public Lecture to explore how ideas from quantum physics are putting modern mathematical ideas in a natural context.

Galileo mused that in order to understand the universe, we must first understand the language that it is written in. That language? Mathematics. But, if we look to the universe first we can see the ways it has inspired new approaches to even the purest mathematics. Using ideas from quantum field theory, elementary particle physics and string theory we are able to solve deep problems in incredible ways.

Robbert Dijkgraaf is a Director and Leon Levy Professor of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton. The Institute is one of the world's leading centers for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry and exists to encourage and support fundamental research in the sciences and humanities. Dijkgraaf is a mathematical physicist who has made significant contributions to string theory and to the advancement of science education. His research focuses on the interface between mathematics and particle physics.

He is Past President of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and, since 2009, has been the Co-Chair of the Interacademy Council, the global alliance of academies of sciences advising the United Nations and other international organizations.

Dijkgraaf is a distinguished public policy adviser and passionate advocate for science and the arts. Many of his activities – which have included frequent appearances on television, a monthly newspaper column in NRC Handelsblad, several books for general audiences, and the launch of the science education websiteProefjes.nl – are at the interface between science and society.

For his contributions to science and his leadership and outreach in science education and public policy, Dijkgraaf was awarded the Spinoza Prize, the highest scientific award in the Netherlands, in 2003. He was named a Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion in 2012 and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.

Dijkgraaf’s lecture, entitled “The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Quantum Physics in Modern Mathematics,” will be held on Wednesday, March 5, 2014 at 7:00 PM EST in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Tickets will be available online starting February 18, 2014.

About Perimeter Institute

Perimeter Institute is the world’s largest research hub devoted to theoretical physics. The independent Institute was founded in 1999 to foster breakthroughs in the fundamental understanding of our universe, from the smallest particles to the entire cosmos. Research at Perimeter is motivated by the understanding that fundamental science advances human knowledge and catalyzes innovation, and that today’s theoretical physics is tomorrow’s technology. Located in the Region of Waterloo, the not-for-profit Institute is a unique public-private endeavour, including the Governments of Ontario and Canada, that enables cutting-edge research, trains the next generation of scientific pioneers, and shares the power of physics through award-winning educational outreach and public engagement.